Various portable devices such as mobile phones are used for communication over the Internet and phone network. Further, such devices enable a user to view, read and write text, video, graphics and so forth by using their display screens. For example, the user can read and write messages, compose emails, and so forth. In recent years, the technology of the portable devices has improved tremendously. Various portable devices, such as smart phones include various hardware and software features that are generally present in personal computers. For example, various powerful mobile phone Operating Systems (OS) are available such as Windows Mobile, Apple iOS, Android, Symbian, Blackberry OS and so forth. Therefore, the devices provide all the essential functionalities for a day to day usage for the user. However, the devices have a drawback in terms of the size of the display screens. Generally, the form factor of the portable device is such that it is easier to carry and handle by the user. As a result, the size of the keypad and display screen is also limited, which makes the use of display difficult for the user. For example, the user may be required to zoom webpages to read them on the display screen of the portable device. Further, longer viewing on a small display screen may be stressful for the user. Moreover, the use of keypad may be uncomfortable for longer usage such as typing documents with hundreds of words.
A technique disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,732 assigned to Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson publ., enables transmission of numeric or text data from display of a mobile telephone to a larger screen of a remote display monitor. However, this technique does not mention transmission of graphics to the remote display monitor. As a result, the display of the mobile telephone cannot be replicated on the remote display monitor.
Another technique is discussed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0216508 assigned to Augusta Technology Inc. This technique discusses driving an external display device using a mobile phone device. The audio and video content on the mobile phone can be merged and displayed on an external device connected to the mobile phone device. However, the technique is limited to replicating and controlling the contents on the mobile device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,921 discloses an external keyboard that can be connected to a mobile device. However, the functionality of the keyboard is limited to the mobile phone and cannot be used on other devices that are connected to the mobile device.
In light of the above discussion, techniques are desired for connecting and driving external devices from a portable device.